weatherman can do it. i mean, why -- >> that ain't saying much. >> that's a good point. i'm glad you're up with us. >> he's not even a good weatherman. >> he's not, but he can do the show. that should tell you something. it's friday, november 30th. we have a lot to talk about including the senate's top republican laughing out loud at the white house proposal to avert the fiscal cliff. >> i don't know much about the government. is that a good sign if they make a proposal? >> when you do that to me, i know you're not taking me seriously, right? >> sometimes getting really stupid offers, also not polite. plus, an update on the condition of the former president george h.w. bush. he had a health scare in houston yesterday. we're going to tell you how he's doing this morning. but first let's get to the news live at 5:30 here at 30 rock in new york city. this morning, president obama departs to pennsylvania where he will continue his campaign sales pitch on how to solve the country's fiscal challenges. yesterday treasury secretary tim geithner met with republicans to unveil the white house's budget proposal which includes $1.6

trillion in new tax revenue over ten years as well as $50 billion in additional stimulus spending. with limited details on spending cuts, the gop's reaction, less than encouraging. senator mitch mcconnell reportedly burst into laughter while geithner was in the middle of outlining obama's plan. and house speaker john boehner who described his phone call with the president wednesday night as disappointing was not impressed by the white house proposal. >> no substantive progress has been made in the talks between the white house and the house over the last two weeks. right now all eyes are on the white house. the country doesn't need a victory lap. it needs leadership. it's time for the president and congressional democrats to tell the american people what spending cuts they're really willing to make. >> boehner then raised the stakes by throwing the debt ceiling into the mix, suggesting that any plans to raise the nation's borrowing limit would have to be matched by spending cuts in the fiscal cliff deal.

>> as i told the president a couple weeks ago, there's a lot of things i've wanted in my life, but almost all of them had a price tag attached to them. i continue to believe that any increase in the debt limit has to be accompanied by spending reductions that meet or exceed it. >> asking that a political price be paid in order for congress to do its job to ensure that the united states of america pays its bills and does not default for the first time in its history is deeply irresponsible. it was deeply irresponsible in the summer of 2011, and it would be deeply irresponsible if we were to see that kind of approach taken again. >> with boehner calling on the white house to lay out specific spending cuts, senate majority leader harry reid offered his own response to the house speaker. >> he says that democrats have got to get serious about cuts, spending cuts. where's the disconnect, then? >> i don't understand his brain,

so you should ask him. okay? >> huh. don't understand his brain. i don't understand your senate that hasn't produced a budget in, what, three, four years? on to other news, president obama and mitt romney agreed to stay in touch following their face-to-face sit-down at the white house. the two met privately yesterday over lunch to share ideas about solving challenges facing the nation. they also discussed the possibility of working together in the future. the white house described the meeting as friendly. as the former rivals shared a meal of light turkey chili and chicken salad. former president george h.w. bush is expected to be released from a houston hospital this weekend after suffering complications from bronchitis. the former president is making his second extended stay at a hospital this month for a lingering cough that doctors hope to prevent from becoming pneumonia. aides say the 88-year-old feels good enough to go home, but doctors aren't taking any chances, keeping him until the

cough is completely gone. in a stinging diplomatic defeat for the u.s. and israel, the united nations has voted overwhelmingly to recognize palestine as a nonmember observer state. in the west bank city of ramallah, hundreds celebrated the vote in the main square. the resolution still won't make palestine a nation, but it is a symbolic victory that palestinians home will strengthen their hand in future peace talks. israel strongly objected to the move, arguing that palestinians must first recognize israel's right to exist before gaining new rights at the u.n. yesterday u.s. ambassador to the u.n., susan rice, said the resolution would only delay the peace process. >> today's unfortunate and counterproductive resolution places further obstacles in the path to peace. today's vote should not be misconstrued by any as constituting eligibility for u.n. membership. it does not.

this resolution does not establish that palestine is a state. >> a leading concern for israel is that the palestinians could now use the status to access the u.n.'s international criminal court, pressing it to investigate israel's practices in the occupied territories. in washington, lawmakers are already threatening to cut millions of dollars in aid to the palestinians should they use their new status to go after israel. the united states senate is ready to consider broad new economic sanctions against iran. and they are aimed at choking off that country's energy and shipping sectors that are believed to keep its nuclear program afloat. yesterday the u.s. gave tehran a march deadline to begin cooperating with a u.n. nuclear investigation. the agency's been trying unsuccessfully for the past year to determine if iran is developing a nuclear weapon. at the newseum in washington last night, hillary clinton offered a hint of optimism that diplomacy was still a possibility.

>> we continue to believe that there is still a window of opportunity to reach some kind of resolution over iran's nuclear program. now, i'm not, you know, a wild-eye ed optimist about it, t i think it's imperative that we do everything we can unilaterally, bilaterally, multilaterally to test that proposition. >> the u.s. energy department figures show that iran's oil exports last month were down 1 million barrels a day. compared to the same time last year. a scathing new report out in the uk is calling for tight restrictions on the british press in wake of last year's phone hacking scandal. after a year-long investigation, a senior british judge issued a 2,000-page report detailing what was described as the media's, quote, unethical and reckless behavior. he also called for an

independent watchdog to regulate newspapers and protect citizens' privacy. prime minister david cameron set up the inquiry after revelations of illegal eavesdropping that brought down rupert murdoch's now-defunct tabloid, news of the world." they say it goes too far and could infringe on free speech and freedom of the press. parliament will have to approve the recommendations for there to be any legal changes. the company hostess may be shutting down, but you know what? just in time for christmas, the executives are all in line for as much as $1.75 million in bonuses. >> oh. >> isn't that nice? it's important at christmastime that high-level executives get paid off for driving a company into the ground. it's very helpful. >> even if the workers are actually -- >> and their workers are out of jobs. >> in the unemployment line. ho ho ho. >> a company that does not transform itself into awe future and looks for more healthy

options, so they're going out of business. >> it's just not working well. >> federal bankruptcy judge says the money was meant to keep top hfl lev top-level managers on board. nearly 18,000 people are losing their jobs. for more on this, cnbc's steve sedgwick in london. what am i missing? >> how can he report on the story? he's never even eaten a twinkie. he's never been out in the field. >> it's true, i haven't had a ho ho or a cupcake. >> you haven't had a life, then you, steve? >> i have had the uk equivalent. it's been a constant battle for 42. as you quite rightly pointed out, this is an absolute tragedy for 18,000 workers at this company. they have tried to keep this company going. it's the second time, actually, it's gone into bankruptcy in a decade. the fact remains that 18,000

people at hostess brands will ultimately lose their job. and as you say, 19 senior-level managers are getting bonuses of $1.75 million to keep this company going through the liquidation process. it just seems quite tragic. and i'm afraid all too often in corporate news and i see jobs being lost just before the holiday season as well. but the brand would live on, it looks like. all those brands we just mentioned, brands i've never had before, it looks like they're going to live on because 110 listed potential buyers have turned around and said we are interested. it includes finance companies, some retailers as well. at least 70 of those have signed nondisclosure forms as well. so the brands live on even if there is a personal tragedy for those 18,000 workers. back to you guys. >> thank you so much, steve. greatly appreciated. now to the latest from wednesday's $588 million powerball drawing. one of the two winning tickets has been very fire everified by officials where the jackpot numbers are being linked to the

kansas city royals. five of the six winning numbers match those worn by royals hall of famers, and the sixth belongs to bo jackson. the first athlete to be named an all-star in two major professional sports. >> i have no idea what you're talking about. >> that's because you don't love america. the identity of the ticketholder has not been revealed. but a news conference is scheduled later today. the second jackpot-winning ticket sold at a convenience store in phoenix, arizona, has yet to be claimed. as always, let us know why you're awake. shoot us an e-mail to waytooearly@msnbc.com or tweet us. we'll read the best responses later in the show. we've got some good ones coming in. why in the world would you all be up right now? i don't know, but i know the falcons proved that they are the team to beat. getting revenge on their rivals, the new orleans saints. we have highlights from thursday night's game ahead in sports. and later, joe biden dusts off his costco membership card and goes by the local store to

pick up a few things. we'll show you what was on his shopping list. he needed to go to costco. he's got to get the naval observatory up to par. let's get a check on weather from our stunt double, bill karins. >> did you see that yesterday? >> he was us. he did what we do. >> he really did. >> he outed us. >> except he was wearing stockings. >> oh, no, did he wear stripy leopard stockings? >> you know, the ones he wore at the -- you know. we'll be right back. ♪ because this is thriller ♪ thriller night ♪ and no one's going to save you from the beast about to strike ♪ ♪ you know it's thriller ♪ thriller night wanna see me get some great deals?

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early." a live shot at the top of the rock at 5:44. >> that's nice. it is so dark out. >> on the east coast. you know who's not terrible? >> who? >> bill karins yesterday. >> well, i heard this. i heard that he did the show and that everyone loved him. >> i went downtown, and i was hanging with the kids. >> yeah. >> and i had a kid come up to me on the street, mr. scarborough. yeah? he said, bill karins, he kicked it old school. >> old school. >> i have no idea what that meant, but i was very excited. >> we never knew. we had no idea. >> he is very, very big with the kids on the street. >> you see what everyone doesn't know is i'm going between studios for the first five minutes of the show and i don't really hear it. i may have heard a rumor of a slightly different introduction, like a cross-dressing weather guy can do it. >> i think that was on cnbc. >> oh, another network, okay. >> do you have pants on today? >> we only show it waist up for a reason. >> okay. >> exactly. i stepped out of my house this

morning on the way to the orphanage, and it was kind of warm. >> you mean the kids were in your house. you kept them warm last night by the fireplace. yeah. >> no. >> it looks like we're headed in the right direction. can you believe december is this weekend? pretty nice in some spots. the exception, the west coast. we're still getting drenched. this huge storm will be impacting california, oregon and washington state over the weekend. we're still expecting another couple inches of rain, gusty winds, high waves. this is one of their bigger storms they'll probably see as they go through their rainy sto season. now for the good news, we're turning the corner on this cold spell. the warm air building in the middle of the country. beautiful last day of november, denver, kansas city through texas and eventually as we go throughout the next three days, some of this will work its way towards the east coast. and look at by sunday, we should be near 60 degrees in d.c., upper 50s, new york city. we're going to be dry everywhere east of the rockies this weekend. so it looks like, joe, if you have your pick of your days, i think east coast sunday looks

for very nice to get outdoors and enjoy a nice warm start to december. >> he will plan on it. thank you so much, bill. greatly appreciate it. now let's turn to sports. >> all right. >> you know, earlier this month, drew brees and the saints handed the falcons their only loss of the season. in last night's rematch, though, the falcons' defense exacted revenge. first quarter, the falcons up a touchdown. drew brees goes back to pass and goes deep for marques colston, but the ball is underthrown and picked off in the end zone. the beginning of the second quarter. matt ryan throws one for tony gonzalez who elevates over the defender and comes down with it for the touchdown. falcons take the 17-7 lead into halftime. the saints trailing by just four points in the third quarter when drew brees rolls out and throws it right into the waiting arms of william moore for another interception. >> oh, my. >> the third pick of the game for brees. and his night would only get worse from there. fourth quarter now, brees trying to cut into the deficit with two minutes left. he throws behind the receiver and moore is there again for another pick.

five interceptions on the night for brees, the first time he's ever had five interceptions in a game. his nfl record streak of 54 consecutive games with a touchdown pass also came to an end in this one as the falcons win, 23-13. they can now clinch the division title this weekend if the bucs lose to the broncos. to college football now. louisville facing rutgers for the big east championship and a bcs bowl berth. gary nova drops back and finds brandon coleman who gets past the cardinals' secondary and goes all the way down the line -- sideline untouched for an 85-yard touchdown to give the scarlet knights an early lead. rutgers up four in the third quarter. bridgewater gives the cardinals the lead with the beautiful pass to the back of the end zone. bridgewater leads his team to the 20-17 win despite playing with a broken wrist and a sprained ankle. good lord. cardinals are going to the second-ever bcs bowl game. they lead the big east for the

a.c.c. next season. and mika, you know, a lot of "way too early" fans were wondering why the honey badger's name was randomly put up in the middle of the big east championship. ask yourself that question no more. t.j. just screwed up the stories. more college football news now. mathi mathieu, the honey badger, anounlsed that he plans to declare for the 2013 nfl draft if he can just stop doing drugs. defensive back who started at lsu last season, was on the way to being named a heisman trophy finalist, but he was dismissed from the team in august following multiple failed drug tests. mathieu spent time in rehab earlier this year, but he was arrested just last month on a american possession charge. mathieu didn't play football this season. now, "the new orleans times-picayune" reports that he's now undergoing rehab in pompano beach, florida. but he's currently projected as a late-round pick in april. the big question, though, who's going to take a chance on that guy? >> i don't know, more from college basketball.

texas a&m quarterback johnny manziel has a chance to become the first freshman ever to win the heisman, but that didn't stop the administrators at hill county high school in manziel's hometown in texas from sending home a 17-year-old student for sporting a johnny football-themed haircut. christian chavez says he was told not to return to the school until he got manziel's likeness removed from his head. look at that. >> i think it looks pretty good. >> chavez says he plans on keeping the haircut at least a few more days. >> they don't like johnny football. that's just wrong. >> that's very artistic. who did that haircut? good lord! >> we'll try to do that for you. i think that would look great. coming up next, at the top of the hour, "morning joe," republicans laugh in the face of tim geithner's laughable proposal after he offers up the white house plan on the fiscal crisis that really includes no spending cuts. we're going to discuss where the two sides go from here straight

ahead with our "morning joe" panel. when we come back, we'll huddle around the water cooler where jon stewart suggests the president was rubbing it in by inviting mitt romney to the white house. that clip and more when "way too early" comes right back. progres. in what world do potatoes, bacon and cheese add up to 100 calories? your world. ♪ [ whispers ] real bacon... creamy cheese... 100 calories... [ chef ] ma'am [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. buy now. save later. but when i was in an accident...

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enough with the real news. let's send it over to louis now for the water cooler. what's up, louis? >> it's screw it up. >> it's that time and it's a

very strong cooler today. >> wow, you're confident, aren't you? >> i am very confident. it's a strong cooler today. >> it's a strong cooler today. >> a strong cooler. >> wow! >> we told you earlier in the show about president obama and mitt romney's lunch at the white house. now let's take a look at "the daily show" for exclusive unseen footage of yesterday's private event. >> we do have some footage of governor romney arriving to the white house. i believe that's him there. then he's getting out. and then the lion. the campaign is over, so he doesn't have to pretend anymore. he can finally wear that serengeti lion sash he hadn't been wearing. by the way, obama couldn't have met the guy in a restaurant? he had to make him come to the white house? that's some cold brew. hey, romney, what's up, man? hey, isn't it funny? you almost lived here.

this was almost your place. just 3 million votes. you know what i mean? oh, you worked so hard for seven years and you were just about to go in and then sorry [ bleep ]. >> that's pretty good. >> yeah. >> it's a strong cooler. >> romney, king joffrey joffer. we're moving on. we have vice president joe biden going to the grand opening of a washington, d.c., costco store yesterday. >> what? >> yes. let me tell you, he did not -- >> -- just walking through this store. >> snack pack there. he's looking at watches, eating pies, buying books for his wife. >> he's like a badger. he's just rummaging around, one aisle after another. he's taking a bite of a snack. closing it back up. >> i think at one point someone

asked him to buy some tires. and he said, i don't need tires. i don't drive anymore. >> you know, it is very important to follow what the vice president of the united states is doing, obviously. but i'm concerned about one thing and one thing only. as this week comes to a close -- >> washington's in a crisis. >> how does it go with lindsay lohan. what has been happening? >> it's not a good week for her. >> why not? >> she received reviews for "liz & dick." >> i loved that. >> now she came to new york to blow off some steam. they went to the justin bieber concert where she apparently was already very intoxicated. >> lindsay. >> when she left the concert, what else do you do after a bieber concert? you go to a chelsea nightclub. >> exactly. >> while she's there, she runs into this very well-known florida psychic, tiffany mitchell. >> she ran into tiffany mitchell? >> yes. they start bantd bantering. >> the tiffany mitchell? >> yes. they criticized her for her show being bad. you know, she calls her a

bleeping psychic. and she punches her in the back of the head. you know, it's all in a -- >> she is an artist, mika. and you're an artist, too, louis. but she's an artist. >> louis, we'll let you know when it's a strong cooler. >> that was a strong cooler. still ahead, why are you awake? your tweets, texts and e-mails next. and "morning joe" now just seconds -- and i mean seconds -- away. part of a whole new line of tablets from dell. it's changing the conversation. ♪